Apparatus for operating on wound webs



Feh 1934- A. BROADMEYER APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON WOUND WEBS Filed July29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet l g'wuentoz Feb, 27, 1934..

A. BROADMEYER 1,949,238

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON WOUND WEBS Filed July 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet2 Feb. 27, R934 A BROADMEYER 31,949,238

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON WOUND WEBS Filed July 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet3 glwuawto'o Feb. 27, 19314. A. BROADMEYER APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON'WOUND WEBS Filed July 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 dwwm,

Feb. 27, 1934 A. BROADMEYER 1,949,238

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON WOUND WEBS Filed July 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet5 Patented Feb. 27, 1934 APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON WOUND WEBS AlbertBroa'dmeyer, Harrisburg, Pa., assignor to W. 0. Hickok ManufacturingCompany, Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July29, 1930. Serial No. 471,519

16 Claims.

In the operation of apparatus in whch wound webs or continuous sheetsofpaper or like material are used, it is the common arrangement tounwind the roll by drawing upon the web or a sheet. This obviously putsa strain on the web,

resulting at times in it becoming torn. Moreover where the roll isrelatively large and heavy there is a tendency for it to overrun andcause a slack in the unwound web.

9 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in a sheetdelivering or feeding mechanism a novel and practicable means forunwinding the sheet or web from a roll without the necessity ofimparting undue strain upon such sheet or web, the unwinding mechanismalways maintaining the same surface speed on the roll, irrespective ofthe diameter of the same, so that a constant even delivery ismaintained, irrespective of the diameter of the roll or its variationdue to the removal of the web.

A further and important object is to provide means by which the propercontact between the unwinding apparatus and the roll is maintainedirrespective of the variation in diametera as mechanism which may beemployed either in unwinding or winding apparatus.

A still further and important object is to provide in connection withsheet severing mechanism, roll unwinding means that will remove the 3Jeb from the roll in properly timed relation to the severing mechanism,i respective of the decreasing diam ter of the roll.

Another and important object is to provide means by which successiverolls are being brought into position while one is being unwound so thatwhen a web has been exhausted, another roll is substantially in positionto be started.

A still further object is to provide means by which the roll can beproperly centered or positioned with respect to the web removing andsevering or other mechanism that operates thereon.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 33of Figure 2.

Figure 4; is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 2 andshowing the drive gearing for the cutter roll and the roll unwindingmeans.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 1 and showing thedriving gear for the ratchet mechanism that advances the roll.

Figure 6 is a detail view in elevation of the ratchet mechanism and itscontrolling means.

Figure '7 is a detail sectional view on the line 7-7 of Figure 1, andshowing the tensioning (50 means for the unwinding belt.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of such tensioning means.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 1 andillustrating one of the roll supports and carriers with the means forshifting the roll longitudinally.

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line 1010 oi-Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a plan View.

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view on the line l212 of Figure 11.

The disclosure shows an apparatus for cutting sheets from a continuousweb of paper and intended for feeding them to a ruling machine, or otherapparatus that operates on the cut sheets. A suitable frame is employed,involving side members consisting of main portions 13 having elongatedextensions 14 of less height than said main portions. In the mainportions or bodies 13 of the side frames are journaled a pair ofcoacting web severing rolls 15 and 16 that may be of any well-knownconstruction. For example, one of theserolls may be provided with acutting knife 17, the other having a slotted member 18 to receive thecutting knife as the rolls are rotated.

These rolls, as usual, are geared together, as illustrated at 19, sothat they operate in timed relation. A driving shaft 20 extends acrossthe main portion of the frame and is provided with a suitable drivingpulley 21. This shaft carries a main driving gear 22, withwhich meshes:a gear 23 having an adjustable mounting 24 (see Figure 4). A removablegear 25 on the lower cutter roll, meshes with the gear 23. The cutting.rolls are thus driven from the shaft 20, and it will be evident that byusing gears 25 of different diameters, the cutting rolls may be drivenat different speeds. In other words, the gears 22, 23 and 25 constitutea well-known form of change speed gearing.

The portions 14 of the side frames have formed on their upper edges,tracks .26, the outer portions of which incline downwardly, as shown at27. On these tracks ride'the upper stretches of endless draft cables 28that are in the form of sprocket chains. These chains pass around idlersprocket wheels 29 mounted on the frame extensions 14 and around drivesprocket wheels 30 mounted on a shaft 31 that is located at the junctureof the portions 13 and is of the frame. These sprocket chains 28 havemounted thereon carrier hooks 32 adapted to engage the spindles orsupporting rods 33 of the rolls 3% that are to be unwound.

Mounted between the side members of the frame is a roll unwinding devicein the form of an endless belt 35 having a downwardly moving advancestretch 36 that is located and operates between the rear ends of thetracks 26. This belt passes over an upper drive pulley 37 mounted on ashaft 38 that is journaled in brackets 3 carried by the portions 13 ofthe frame. The belt also passes around a lower pulley 4-3 mounted on ashaft 41 that is vertically movable. To this end the shaft 41 is carriedin boxes 42 slidable in vertical guideways 43 formed in the side membersthe frame. AS shown in detail in Figure 8, the shaft 41 is urgeddownwardly by means of an arm 44 having an adjustable weight 45 mountedthereon. This arm 44 is carried by a rock shaft 45a carrying a crank arm46 engaged a bracket 4'? mounted on the end of the shaft 41. It will beunderstood that a tensioning device of this kind is located at each endof the shaft 41, and by reason of the weights 45, the belt 3535 isplaced under tension but can yield. The shaft 38 carrying the drivepulley 3'7 for said belt 35-36 is provided at its rear end with asprocket wheel 48 engaged by an endless sprocket chain 49 that is drivenfrom an idler gear in mesh with the drive gear 22 on the main driveshaft 20.

A roll 34 of paper or other continuous web to be unwound, is caused tobe brought into contact with the downwardly moving stretch 36 of thebelt 35, and is thereby frictionally rotated in a direction to unwindthe web. This web 34a. as shown particularly in Figure 3, is caused topass downwardly under the pulley 40 for the belt 3536, and is directedthereunder by guide rollers 51 and 52. Thence it is brought upwardly inrear of the belt 35-35 and is passed between pressure rolls 53 and 54 tothe web severing rolls 15 and 16. Here it is cut into separate sheets bythe knife 17, and these sheets fed on to other instrumentalities by anysuitable means, preferably carrier rolls 55.

Obviously it is necessary to maintain proper contact between theperiphery of the roll 34 being unwound and the stretch 36 of the belt soas to secure the unwinding operation, and yet it is also essential thattoo much pressure be not brought between these parts. Mechanism istherefore provided for advancing the roll as its diameter decreases andmaintaining the proper contact.

To this end the mechanism shown in Figure l. and in detail in Figure 6is employed. The draft cables or chains 28, as already stated, passaround the sprocket wheels 30 fixed to the shaft 31, and this shaft 31is provided at one end with a ratchet wheel 56. A pawl carrier 5'7,jouinaled on the end of the shaft 31, is provided with a pawl 58 thatengages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 56 to effect its rotation. Thepawl carrier 5'7 is oscillated through the medium of a reciprocatorylink 59 having a loose play connection 60 with the free end of saidcarrier. This link 59, as shown in Figure l, is also connected to onearm of a bell crank 61, and the other arm of the bell crank is connectedto a link 62 engaged with a crank pin 63 on a crank wheel 64. The crankwheel 64 is journaled on one end of the main drive shaft 20, (see Figure5), and carries a gear wheel 65 driven from said shaft 20 through atrain of gears 66. The pawl carrier 5'7 is so weighted that its tendencyis to gravitate to the left, so that the pawl 58 will ride over one ormore of the ratchet teeth of the wheel 56, and this movement ispermitted by the reciprocation of the link 59. As said link moves to theright, if the pawl carrier has swung a sufiicient distance to the left,it will be evident that it will then pull the carrier to the rightcausing the pawl 58 to move in a corresponding direction. The

pawl 58, engaged behind one of the teeth of the wheel 56, will turn saidwheel, and thereby operate the cables to draw the roll up against thestretch 36 of the belt 85. Any retrograde movement of the ratchet wheelis prevented by a holding pawl 67.

A constant feed of this kind would ordinarily be too great, andtherefore means are provided for controlling the movement of the ratchetmechanism in accordance with the varying diameter of the roll as the webis unwound therefrom. A rock shaft 68 is journaled in the frame andcarries at one end an upstanding governor arm 69 having a roller 70journaled thereon, this roller bearing against the periphery of the roll34 alongside the stretch 36 of the belt 35 (see Figure 2). At one endthe rock shaft 58 is provided with a crank '71 to which is pivoted alink '72 that is connected to an upstanding cletent 73 pivoted at itslower end, as shown at '74. A nut '75, threaded on the link 72, bearsagainst the rear side of the detent '73, while its front side is borneagainst by a spring '76, backed by a collar '77 on the link '72. Theupper end of this detent is adapted to move into and out of a positionbeneath a stop dog 78 mounted on the hub of the pawl carrier 57. Whenthe roll 34 is in proper contact with the stretch 36 of the unwindingbelt, the lever 57 has been pushed rearwardly a suiiicient distance tocause the detent '73 to be beneath the holding dog '78. Obviouslytherefore the pawl carrier 57 cannot gravitate to the left and the pawl58 will not ride over any of the teeth of the ratchet wheel.Consequently the draft cables 28 will be idl and the roll support willmaintain its fixed position. As the web is unwound however, and thediameter of the roll decreases, the roller '70 on the lever 69 willpermit said lever to gradually swing to the left, and as the rock shaft68 turns, the link '72 will move in a corresponding direction until thedetent '73 is out of the path of the dog '78. When this occurs, the pawlcarrier 5'7 can swing sufiiciently to allow the pawl 58 to ride over theteeth of the ratchet wheel until the link 59 moves to the right andpulls the pawl backwardly, thereby turning the shaft 31 and againadvancing the roll. This operation continues until th proper maximumcontact pressure is obtained and the governor lever or arm 69 is swungto the right so that the detent is again in position to hold the pawlcarrier against movement.

It is very desirable that the roll being unwound, should be properlycentered or positioned, so that the web will pass through the mechanismin correct relation to the parts that operate on it. For this purpose,means are provided for shifting the roll longitudinally of its axis.

This means is shown in detail in Figures 912 inclusive. On the outerside of one of the tracks 2-5 is a longitudinally disposed rail '79, andslidably mounted on this rail is a transversely disposed and removablebracket 80 having a pair of depending pins 81 that pass downwardly intothe of the sprocket chain 28. Slidable on this bracket, transversely ofthe tracks 26 and 79, and consequently longitudinally of the roll, is acarriage 82 having pivoted thereon, as shown at 83, a dog 84 providedwith a tongue 85 adapted to engage in an annular groove 86 formed in theend of the roll supporting spindle 33.

An adjusting screw 8'7, journaled in upstanding cars 88 and 89 of thebracket 80, has a threaded engagement 90 with the carriage 83. A handwheel 91 is fixed to the outer end of the screw. It will be evidenttherefore that if this bracket is mounted on the rail '79 and chain 28alongside the spindle 33 of the roll being unwound, and the dog 84 isengaged in the groove 86 of said spindle, while rotating the screw 87,the spindle and therefore the roll supported on it can be shiftedlongitudinally, so that the roll can be desirably positioned. Moreoverthere is no cramping action by reason of the pressure, or by reason ofthe advancement of the roll as it is unwound because there is a doublebearing, one, of the dog 84 against the spindle 33, and the other, ofthe pins 81 in the sprocket chain 28.

The operation of the apparatus generally considered, is as follows: Forexample, a roll of paper 34, to be unwound, is rolled between theportions 14 of the side frame until its spindle 33 overlies thedownwardly inclined portions 27 of the tracks.

The sprocket chains 28 are then moved until a pair of carrier hooks 32are engaged with the ends of said spindle. This movement of the chainscan be accomplished by any means, but in the present embodiment, a handwheel 92 is preferably mounted on the shaft 31 and constitutes aconvenient means for manually moving the chains. This movement of thechains is continued and the roll of paper is carried forwardly until itsperiphery is brought into contact with the unwinding stretch 36 of thebelt 35. The web of paper is then fed around the guide rollers 51 and 52and between the rollers 53 and 54, the severing rolls l5 and 16 and theofitake rolls 55. If now the mechanism is put into operation, it will beevident that the roll will be unwound by the downwardly moving stretch36 of the belt 35, and the web as it is taken off, is removed by therolls 53 and 5d and delivered to the cutting rolls 15 and 16, where itis severed into sheets. parts are of course driven in timed relation, sothat the web is delivered always at the proper speed to cut a sheet ofpredetermined length. If the length of this sheet is to be varied, it isonly necessary to change the diameter of the gear 25 (see Figure 4), toincrease or decrease the speed of the cutting rolls, it being understoodthat the web can pass through said roll freely. Moreover the operationof unwinding is in no manner d sturbed by the reduction of the diameterof the roll because the surface speed of the roll increases under thedriving action of the belt as the diameter decreases. The delivery ofthe web therefore remains constant. As already explained, whenever thediameter decreases to a certain degree when the minimum amount offrictional contact between the driving belt and the roll occurs, thegovernor arm or lever 69 is so adjusted that it will permit the ratchetmechanism to operate and again advance the roll. This driving contactwith the roll is furthermore accommodated by the tensioning means ofFigure 8, which allows the stretch 36 to bow more or less when the rollis brought up to it. And not only is there a positive drive in theunwinding operation, but this frictional contact of the driving beltwith the periphery of the roll acts as a brake to prevent the rollobtaining a speed or momentum that will run it faster so as to causeslack in the web.

While one roll is thus being unwound, another roll can be brought overthe declined portions 27 of the tracks and will be engaged by the nextseries of carrier hooks 32, as shown in Figure 1. Consequently by thetime one roll has been exhausted, another roll is substantially inposition for operation. Therefore much loss of time is prevented, animportant factor in high speed machines. Obviously when a second roll isthus brought into position, the shifting device of Figures 9-l2inclusive can be readily removed along with the empty spindle 33 and theshifting device applied to the next roll.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent totaosc skille the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificim any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim, is:

1. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with means for rotatably mounting said body, of meansthat operates on the surface of the body to rotate it, and mechanismgoverned by the variation in the diameter of the body for permitting therelative movement of the mounting means and rotating means to maintaincontact between the latter and the body as the diameter of the bodyvaries, said mechanism including a governing device that en ages thesurface of the body and is moved as the diameter of the body varies.

2. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with an endless belt forming a stretch that engages aroll to unwind it, of means for rotatably supporting the roll to beunwound, and means including a controllin device that operates againstthe periphery of the body and moves as the diameter of the body changes,for advancing the roll support toward the belt to maintain contact ofthe periphery of the roll with the same and effect the unwindingoperation as the diameter of the roll decreases.

3. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with means for rotatably supporting a body of woundmaterial, of means that engages the body to rotate it, and means forvarying the distance between the rotatable support and the rotatingmeans to accommodate the changing diameter of the body, said lattermeans including a governing device that bears against the body and ismoved as its diameter varies.

4. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with means for rotatably supporting a body of woundmaterial, of means that engages the body to rotate it and a pawl andratchet mechanism that operates on one of said means to vary thedistance between the two means in order to accommodate the changingdiameter of the body, said mechanism including a ratchet controllingmeans and a governor therefor that bears against the body and is movedby the same as its diameter varies.

5. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with a device for rotating a wound roll of material, ofa carrier for the roll movable toward said device to cause the peripheryof the roll to contact with said device, a mechanism for advancing theroll carrier, and means for controlling the operation of the advancingcarrier including a device that bears against the periphery of the rolland is moved thereby.

6. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with a device for rotating a wound roll of material, ofa carrier for the roll movable toward said device to cause the peripheryof the roll to contact with said device, a pawl and ratchet mechanismfor advancing the roll carrier, a detent for controlling the operationof the pawl and ratchet mechanism, and an operating device for thedetent that bears against the periphery of the roll and is moved on thevariation in the diameter of the roll.

In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material, thecombination with a device for rotating a wound roll of material, of acarrier for the roll movable toward said device to cause the peripheryof the roll to contact with said device, a pawl and ratchet mechanismfor advancing the roll carrier, a detent for controlling the operationof the pawl and ratchet mechanism, and an operating device for thedetent that bears against the periphery of the roll and is moved in onedirection by the movement of the roll and roll carrier with respect tothe rotatin means and is moved in the other direction as the diameter ofthe roll varies.

8. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound bocy of material,the combination with a roll unwinding device, of a roll carrier movabletoward the unwinding device to cause the periphery of the roll to beengaged by the device and unwound thereby, a ratchet mechanism forcausing the same to be advanced toward the unwinding device, and meansfor governing the operation of the ratchet mechanism including a devicethat bears against the periphery of the roll and moves as the positionof said periphery varies with respect to the unwinding device.

9. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with an endless belt for unwinding a roll by engagingits periphery, of a pair of tracks leading to said belt, draft carriercables that operate along the tracks and have roll-spindle engagingmembers to carry a roll into operative engagement with the belt, a pawland ratchet mechanism for operating the cables, a detent for holding thepawl and ratchet mechanism inoperative, and a governing device connectedto the detent and located in the path or" the roll carried by the draftcables.

10. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with web-severing rolls, or" a movable carrier for awound roll of web to be severed, an endless belt that engages theperiphery of the roll to rotate it, means for directing the web from theroll to the severing rolls, mechanism controlled by the varying diameterof the roll for moving the carrier toward the belt to maintain drivingengagement between the roll and belt as the diameter of the rolldecreases, and means engaged by the periphery of the roll for governingits advancing movement.

11. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with mechanism for operating on a web, or" a movablecarrier spindle for a wound roll of such web, means that engages theroll to unwind the web therefrom for operation on by the said mechanism,mechanism for advancing the roll toward the unwinding means as thediameter of the roll decreases, including a sprocket chain, a bracketcarried by the sprocket chain adjacent the spindle, a carriage mountedon the bracket and movable longitudinally of the spindle, and a pawlmounted on the carriage and detachably engaging the spindle to cause itsmovement and the movement of the roll longitudinally of the axis of thelatter.

12. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with a device for operating on the periphery of suchbody to rotate the same, of a carrier for the body, said device andcarrier being relatively movable one toward the other to maintaincontact between the body and said body rotating device, means foreffecting said relative movement, and mechanism governed by thevariation in diameter of the body for throwing said means into and outof operation in order to maintain proper contact between the body andthe rotating device.

13. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with a device for operating on the periphery of suchbody to rotate the same, of a carrier for the body, said device andcarrier being relatively movable one toward the other to maintaincontact between the body and said body rotating device, intermittentlyoperable means for effecting said relative movement, a device forgoverning the operation of said means, and actuating mechanism for thegoverning device that bears against the periphery of the wound body andmoves as its diameter varies, said mechanism when it moves, actuatingthe governing device to cause the moving means to be operated.

14. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with spaced tracks having roll-directing means, ofendless flexible members operating along the tracks past theroll-directing means, roll carrying devices on the members movabletherewith, a roll rotating device located between the tracks andflexible members and in the path of a roll carried thereby, and meansfor automatically effecting the movement of the flexible members in onedirection to cause the roll to maintain contact with the roll rotatingdevice until exhausted and then permit the roll-carrying devices tocontinue to the roll-directing means for replacement.

15. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a. wound body of material,the combination with spaced tracks, of endless flexible membersoperating along the tracks, roll carrying devices on the members movabletherewith, a roll rotating device located between the tracks andflexible members and in the path of a roll carried thereby, and meansfor effecting an automatic intermittent advance of the endless membersto maintain contact of the roll and device as the diameter of the rolldecreases.

16. In apparatus for varying the diameter of a wound body of material,the combination with spaced tracks, of endless flexible membersoperating along the tracks, roll carrying devices on the members movabletherewith, a roll rotating device located between the tracks andflexible members and in the path of a roll carried thereby, normallyinactive means for operating the endless members, and mechanism forthrowing said means into operation including a governing device thatengages the periphery of the roll and is moved as the diameter of saidroll decreases.

ALBERT BROADMEYER.

